All The Ways I Love Instacart

December 16, 2015 by 1 Comment

I first wrote about Instacart when I used them back last year, in October. I thought this year, I would reiterate the all the reasons I love Instacart for those out there who haven’t heard or it or tried it yet, rather than going through the same review of what it was like to exactly use the website and get the delivery – you can always get those details there. After a year of being an Instacart user though, I can summarize pretty concisely now all the ways I love Instacart. I’ve had this conversation verbally more than once.

If you do get convinced to join thanks to me, would you consider using my referral link? As long as you spend $10, your first delivery will be free and you get a $10 credit on top of the free delivery. This is not a sponsored post – they didn’t ask me to endorse them, I just really think they are a great service. But I would appreciate the $5 I would get if you do use my referral.

  1. As before, you can get deliveries that you create on your computer or tablet or phone – they have an app, but you aren’t required to use an app in order to put together your order (side-eye to Amazon’s Prime Now, which is why I haven’t used them yet…)
    Instacart Home Screen
  2. You can shop from multiple stores using one service. The retailers may vary based on your zip code because it is customized to what stores are local in your area. For me, this includes a nice variety of stores with groceries from Whole Foods, Costco, Safeway, Green Zebra, and Petco Now. I know in Chicago by my parent’s home, the list is Whole Foods, Costco, Petco Now, and then the Safeway here is swapped for the local Jewel-Osco grocery store there, and the local health food artisan grocery store of Green Zebra is swapped out for Standard Market (which is my favorite grocery store in the area!) and Lemon Tree Grocer.
    List of retailers for Instacart for 97201 zip code as of December 2015
    Now, there is a minimum order per retailer so you have to make it worth their while understandably by getting at least $10 from each store. I don’t know about you, but it’s not very hard for me to hit the $10 mark per store.
    Instacart shopping cart in progress
    If you want, you can even price shop among different stores all while sitting down – you can search for turkey or steaks at each individual store on their list if you want to see where you want to buy your turkey or steak from. In terms of prices, it’s a mix of it being the same, sometimes slightly higher (sale prices at the store for instance are not reflected in the website prices), or sometimes slightly lower. I think it evens out for me overall in the end – I feel this because I bought some items in person at Whole Foods for instance, and then needed more of the ingredients and when I bought essentially the same items, the 30 cents here or there more and less evened out to about the same.
    I love that it gives me the convenience of instead of having to run an errand where I have to go to the different stores for the best ingredients and prices, they’ll do it for me. I can get my specific brands of cat food and litter from Petco, stock up on toilet paper and towels at Costco, and normal groceries at Safeway and better quality meats and seafoods from Whole Foods without leaving my home (which is how I typically break out what each store excels at locally for me). I still wish they would add Fred Meyer to the list as I like some of their specific deli items like their Jarlsberg cheese dip, or Flame Crafted Ham. I’m also admittedly disappointed that unlike last year, they have since dropped Uwajimaya as a partner which is where I would order specific Asian ingredients.
  3. Yes, Costco is one of the stores. This is one of my most favorite things about Instacart because you don’t have to pay for a membership to get access to Costco. As I just have a family of 2 we don’t often need the huge quantities that are the bulk items at Costco with a few exceptions – the giant boxes and bags of spinach and broccoli and cherry tomatoes. If we are throwing a party or making food for a potluck, sometimes I need 2 pounds of cheese or more than a dozen eggs. But I can’t justify an annual membership based on these trips here or there
    Costco Logo
    It also means I don’t have to get trapped in the zoo that is the Costco physical location (parking lot AND the store) or get tempted by the various new things that I end up picking up and that ends up making me spend twice as much. I also love the Kirkland brand of olive oil, pesto, etc. Thankfully Instacart still lets me have those nice things without having a membership card.
  4. Don’t worry if you can’t find something listed on the site – if you know an item you want, you can request it. I know Costco has roses – and I can ask the shopper to still get that for me even though it doesn’t list it. Incidentally, for every item you put in your cart, you can also add a personal note – for instance, you might ask for 5 leeks but need a certain amount for your recipe so depending on the size of the leeks, you may need more or less. I was upfront and told them how many cups of chopped leeks I was looking to use!
    Add any items even if it's not found in search to an Instacart order and they'll try to look for it!
  5. When you are checking out, you also get the option on whether you want any substitutions if they can’t find something. For instance, if they don’t have the low sodium broth, will I accept regular? If they can’t get watercress, I know I can also use arugula for my recipe – and I’ll make those notes for the shopper. You can browse and pick your substitutions, or choose that if they can’t find it, not to get anything at all.
    Choose your replacements if you wish when Instacart is shopping for you
  6. The shoppers they have are awesome and you can interact with them while they are at the store. This is really a huge way Instacart differentiates itself from other grocery delivery services where once you send your order, you are left just waiting. With Instacart, you can still message them to make changes or clarifications while they are putting your order together. When you get assigned a personal shopper, your account and order will automatically get updated with their name. From that order, you can write messages to them – perhaps you forgot to add eggs. You can write a message and add it if you see they are still shopping (you get updates on your order status of whether they are in the store or on their way to you – I get it sent on my phone but you can see it on the website also).
    Chat with your Instacart shopper as they are shopping for you
    For instance above in point #5, when they didn’t have the three cheese ravioli I wanted, the shopper called me and read me ALL the flavors of ravioli they had so I could pick another one – and the smoked mozzarella one was even better than the three cheese I requested!
    The Instacart shoppers are friendly, knowledgeable, and all about service.
    I do want to note though that the Instacart Shoppers deserve a tip. Imagine especially if they are carrying a lot of heavy things for you, or busting around the store for you in order to get a lot of items within a small amount of timeframe. If they need to talk to you about substitutions or clarification, that also eats into their delivery window time. So, make sure you show your appreciation by including that in your order. Also, note that the driver who actually delivers it may be different than the shopper, which is why you need to add the tip ahead of time. And, make sure you rate your experience accordingly at the end (Instacart always asks for your feedback on your completed order).
  7. And finally, the no brainer on why I love Instacart as well – you can choose to get delivery within 2 hours of submitting your order, or other 1 hour time slots either today or within the next week. They deliver within the hours of 10 AM to 9 PM everyday (including Sunday). The pricing of delivery can very based on how much your order is and the 1 hour versus 2 hour slot – it’s $3.99 for all the slots if you spend $35 or more on groceries, or $7.99 if you spend less then $35.
    Instacart Delivery slot example
    So there is a slight premium of a convenience fee to get your order delivered, but especially for me, I live in a house with a lot of stairs, and will gladly pay someone to haul multiple 12 packs of La Croix for me. And don’t forget you are saving money by not paying a Costco membership fee.
    Other times, I’m in the middle of cooking and realized I forgot an ingredient – instead of stopping what I’m doing to run to the store, I can continue with my other dishes and get what I’m missing delivered to me. F has used them when he wasn’t feeling well and wanted medicine delivered without having to go out himself. If you have kids, I’m sure not having to pack everyone up to go out might also be worth what is ultimately a convenience fee.
    You don’t have to be there to receive the delivery. You can make a note if it’s ok for them to leave it at your front door – so when I’m putting in an order on the Max train on my way home and may not get there until 6:15 for a 6 PM delivery, I don’t need to sweat it.

So those are my top 7 reasons summarizing all the ways I love Instacart. Have you tried them before? What did you think?

And again, if you do get convinced to join thanks to me, would you consider using my referral link? As long as you spend $10, your first delivery will be free and you get a $10 credit on top of the free delivery. It gives me a $5 credit for referring you. Otherwise, I’m just sharing this post because I really do love Instacart!

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Simple and Crisp Fruit Crackers

December 14, 2015 by 15 Comments

Have you ever heard of the Simple and Crisp Fruit Crackers before? This is a great healthy alternative to crackers that also satisfy those in the party group who may be gluten-free. They are 100% fruit that are simply thinly sliced, dried, and that’s it. Simple and healthy since unlike a regular cracker vehicle they offer fiber and antioxidants, and after a month of parties it’s a welcome change from the regular cheese and crackers.
simple & crisp - apple orange, and pear
The crackers pair great with wine – whether red or white – and a variety of cheeses, here you can see I have a cream cheese and vegetable spread. Cheddars, Swiss, Brie, Blue cheeses and more work equally well. We didn’t finish all the crackers at the wine party, and I snacked on some of the leftover fruit with cheese and tea too. If I had chocolate around I might melt it and dip the fruit crackers in the chocolate too.

There are four types of fruit they offer:

  • Blood Orange (my favorite)
  • Orange (second favorite for me)
    simple & crisp - orange simple & crisp - orange
  • Pear
    simple & crisp - pear simple & crisp - pear
  • Apple
    simple & crisp - apple simple & crisp - apple

As you can see, they look fancy even though I did nothing but dump it out of the package, so perfect for the holidays. I’m not being compensated for this post – I just really like this product.

Simple and Crisp fruit crackers are a Northwest non-GMO local product created from Seattle by Jane Yuan a couple years ago. So not only are you supporting local, but also a female entrepreneur. The apples and pears are sourced from Washington and Oregon partners, and the oranges from California.

S&C Producer Profile: Jane Yuan, Founder & Chief Pairing Purveyor from Simple & Crisp on Vimeo.

Especially during this time of years when I’m attending many get togethers, I appreciate something that looks impressive but is so stupid easy to put together, especially when I have to go straight from after work.

I get these Simple and Crisp crackers at Whole Foods, though I’ve seen them at other specialty markets too (for instance Zupan’s here, and nationally at Williams Sonoma).

Which of these fruit crisps sounds most appealing to you? What is your favorite combo to bring to a get together that is easy when you are going straight from after work?

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DarSalam Lazurdi

December 11, 2015 by 6 Comments

I was thrilled to hear that DarSalam, which started as a food cart and then opened a brick and mortar restaurant in Northeast Portland on Alberta was going to open a second location right in downtown at 320 SW Alder, called DarSalam Lazurdi. I have high hopes that this will open up exploration of their Middle Eastern cuisine with a few special Iraqi dishes from their hometown of Baghdad to a larger audience.
DarSalam Lazurdi new location on SW Alder
Their lunch buffet that they offer Mon-Fri 11:30-3:30 is a huge bargain, with the to go buffet discounted $2 from the regular dine in price of about $12. They also serve happy hour (4-6 PM Mon-Fri, 2-5 PM on Sat) and dinner (6-9 PM Mon-Sat) and full bar available alongside their vegan, gluten free, and halal options or conscientious of the lactose intolerant.
DarSalam Lazurdi lunch buffet at the new location on SW Alder DarSalam Lazurdi new location on SW Alder

When I tried their lunch buffet, there was a big bounty of options to choose from and my plate was super heavy even though I took only one spoonful of everything they had on the line that day. In fact, I had to leave out the soup in my first pass, and one dish (pickled mango salad) ended up in that soup bowl instead because I was just out of room despite my careful trying to just taste everything.
DarSalam Lazurdi lunch buffet at the new location on SW Alder My crazy heavy plate with just one spoonful of everything at the buffet, including that Curry Roasted Chicken in the middle, some Potato Salad (green) that separates it from the Tilapia with Mixed Vegetables on the left. Then all around little scoops, starting from 1200, rice, Ful Mudammas (fava beans), Lamb Marga, Spinach White Bean Stew, Chickpea Marga, Tahziki Salad, Beet Salad,Eggplant Marga, and Hummus. In the separate bowl is the Pickled Mango Salad

That included during my visit

  • Pickled Mango Salad: Pickled mango mixed with tomato and chickpeas
  • Ful Mudammas: Fava beans lightly mashed, lemon, olive oil and garlic
  • Tahziki Salad: yogurt blended with fresh garlic, lemon juice and cucumber
    Pickled Mango Salad at the DarSalam Lazurdi lunch buffet at the new location on SW Alder: Pickled mango mixed with tomato and chickpeas Ful Mudammas (Fava beans lightly mashed, lemon, olive oil and garlic) at the DarSalam Lazurdi lunch buffet at the new location on SW Alder Tahziki Salad at the DarSalam Lazurdi lunch buffet at the new location on SW Alder: Rich yogurt blended with fresh garlic, lemon juice and cucumber
  • Beet Salad: Beets cooked until tender, cooled and mixed with yogurt and lemon
  • Hummus: Chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon juice and garlic, garnished with paprika and olive oil.
  • House Salad of  salad greens with onion, cucumber, carrots, olives, and seasonal herbs, drizzled with house dressing
    Beet Salad at the DarSalam Lazurdi lunch buffet at the new location on SW Alder: Beets cooked until tender, cooled and mixed with yogurt and lemon Hummus at the DarSalam Lazurdi lunch buffet at the new location on SW Alder: Chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon juice and garlic, garnished with paprika and olive oil Salad greens with onion, cucumber, carrots, olives, and seasonal herbs, drizzled with house dressing at DarSalam Lazurdi lunch buffet at the new location on SW Alder
  • Curried Roasted Chicken
  • Pan fried Tilapia with Mixed Vegetables
  • Spinach and White Bean Stew
  • Lamb Marga “Khema”: a slow cooked chickpea and shredded lamb strew
  • Eggplant Marga: a slow cooked strew with eggplant, diced potato, onion, tomato, red bell pepper and pomegranate
  • Chickpea Marga: a slow cooked strew with chickpea, tomato, sauteed onion and hint of cardamom
  • Basmati Rice
  • Freshly baked hot flatbread

The downtown space is gorgeous with lots of bold royal blue and gold colors. The new larger location has room and plans for live music and belly dancing on weekend evenings.
DarSalam Lazurdi new location on SW Alder DarSalam Lazurdi new location on SW Alder DarSalam Lazurdi new location on SW Alder DarSalam Lazurdi new location on SW Alder

The service is kind and respectful with a bit of homeyness and humility. You can order from the menu during lunch so you aren’t restricted to the buffet, but it will be slower than the obvious serve yourself of the buffet line. You go to the register at the end to pay your bill.

Even after a second trip to the buffet, my wonderful group of women lunching with me stepped up to ordering all the desserts to share between us. And it was the perfect ending.
Clockwise desserts at DarSalam you see Baklava, a Date Roll and a dessert called Dark & Honey Clockwise desserts at DarSalam you see Baklava, a Date Roll and a dessert called Dark & Honey

As much as you enjoy the food at the buffet, don’t miss leaving a smidge of room for the desserts. Their menu could include some desserts you may not have ever heard of before beyond your usual classic:

  • Baklava, a honey and roasted pistachios rolled up in layers of crisp phyllo dough. The use of pistachios here instead of walnut is what makes it Middle Eastern instead of Mediterranean
    DarSalam Lazurdi dessert Baklava, a honey and roasted pistachios rolled up in layers of crisp phyllo dough
  • DarSalam Lazurdi Date Roll, tender dates wrapped around walnuts and rolled in coconut flakes then drizzled with date honey
    DarSalam Lazurdi Date Roll, tender dates wrapped around walnuts and rolled in coconut flakes then drizzled with date honey
  • Sweet Yogurt Gaemar, a dessert of a thick sweet yogurt topped with lots of date honey
    DarSalam dessert of Sweet Yogurt Gaemar, a dessert of a thick sweet yogurt topped with lots of date honey
  • Dark & Light with Dibbis Date Honey and Tahini Sesame Paste on a plate served with warm flatbread for dipping
    Dar Salam Lazurdi dessert called Dark & Light with Dibbis Date Honey and Tahini Sesame Paste on a plate served with warm flatbread for dipping

I was too stuffed from that first lunch to try the Iraqi shredded meat plate, so forced myself (ha ha ha… it was the bare-bones rationalization I needed to justify a return trip) to come back to try those dishes for you. This is Iraqi style tender shredded meat – your choice of chicken or lamb. I went with chicken.
DarSalam Lazurdi Iraqi Shredded Meat Rice Plate, choice of chicken or lamb atop a bed of basmati rice with a dollop of chickpea marga and with a side of soup or salad. Here you see chicken.

It can be served as an appetizer with your choice of hummus, baba ghanoush or tahziki and flatbread. Or, have it on salad on a bed of greens, or as a main dish atop a bed of basmati rice with a dollop of chickpea marga and with a side of soup or salad. During happy hour, you can have it as an Iraqi Shawarma.

I like it as the rice plate because it means you get the chickpea marga too and a pretty substantial cup of the Adis, a lentil soup. And, it pretty much means you now have 2 meals from that one order – I had it for dinner two different nights with the leftovers as my second meal.
DarSalam Lazurdi Iraqi Shredded Meat Rice Plate, choice of chicken or lamb atop a bed of basmati rice with a dollop of chickpea marga and with a side of soup or salad. Here you see chicken. DarSalam Lazurdi cup of Adis, lentil soup

On my other visit as we awaited our food, we were given a complimentary pita with za’atar dip of the za’atar spices in olive oil.
DarSalam Lazurdi starter of fresh warm pita bread and dip of za'atar in olive oil

We shared an appetizer of the Mixed Dolma with onion, zucchini, and grape leaves stuffed with rice, diced vegetables and spices infused with sun dried tomato and pomegranate. My favorite are the dolma stuffed in onion rather than the grape leaves.
Mixed Dolma with onion, zucchini, and grape leaves stuffed with rice, diced vegetables and spices infused with sun dried tomato and pomegranate. My favorite are the dolma stuffed in onion rather than the grape leaves Mixed Dolma with onion, zucchini, and grape leaves stuffed with rice, diced vegetables and spices infused with sun dried tomato and pomegranate. My favorite are the dolma stuffed in onion rather than the grape leaves

The Falafel here instead of being round balls are more doughnut shaped and much bigger! Here they came part of a Vegan Mezza Plate (on the regular Mezza menu, but that was also part of the happy hour menu) that included the Hummus, Baba ghanoush (smoky roasted eggplant ground with tahini, garlic, lemon juice and garnished with zaatar and olive oil), pickled mango salad, and three falafel (made from ground chickpeas and spices cooked to order from scratch
Darsalam Lazurdi Vegan Mezza Platter with Hummus, Baba ghanoush (smoky roasted eggplant ground with tahini, garlic, lemon juice and garnished with zaatar and olive oil), pickled mango salad, and three falafel (made from ground chickpeas and spices cooked to order from scratch) Darsalam Lazurdi Falafel Donuts, made from ground chickpeas and spices cooked to order from scratch

If you order the Arab Coffee, know that it’s a pretty thick and dark coffee, with a hint of cardamom sweetness. They are served in authentic Iraqi sipping glasses and you can actually get refills of it! Do NOT drink to the grounds.
Arab Coffee: Rich, thick and dark coffee, with a hint of cardamom sweetness, served in authentic Iraqi sipping glasses. Refills available.

There is also a pretty interesting cocktail menu here that uses a lot of the spices and rose water in the beverages to give you the flavors of the Middle East. On the left you see a special which I think was being rotated out of the menu for December, a Rabbit’s Foot with VSOP Brandy, Luxardo, Cardamaro, Creme de Cassis, Green Chartreuse and Orange Bitters. On the right, I was tasting a preview of a new drink that might appear on the menu, the Philippe that takes advantage of the housemade mango juice they offer with rose water.
DarSalam Lazurdi cocktail menu and Bartender's Choice special drink of Rabbit's Foot with VSOP Brandy, Luxardo, Cardamero, Creme de Cassis, Green Chartreuse and Orange Bitters DarSalam Lazurdi Bartender's Choice special drink of Rabbit's Foot with VSOP Brandy, Luxardo, Cardamero, Creme de Cassis, Green Chartreuse and Orange Bitters Cocktail with housemade mango juice and rose water

You can dine at this DarSalam Lazurdi location downtown, or on their website you can even get delivery of their menu items from Delivery Dudes. If you visit this coming Sunday December 13th from 1 – 5 PM, DarSalam is hosting a Holiday Stop & Shop with small local businesses with appetizers on them as you do a little holiday shopping, and 15% of their proceeds will go to the work of Mercy Corps with Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

Do any of these food items tempt you, which one?

Darsalam Lazurdi Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Mae PDX – Pre Thanksgiving Dinner

December 9, 2015 by 6 Comments

On Wednesday November 25th, I had the pleasure once again to dine at the pop up Mae PDX. As I’ve written about previously when I attended and recapped the details of my first dinner, Maya Lovelace makes what I think is the best fried chicken in Portland, brined and fried in three fats and arriving at your table warm and juicy so it drips a bit in your hand after biting past the crispy outer layer into the meat inside.

Although the fried chicken is a constant course at these almost weekly pop up dinners (sign up for their mailing list to get messages on when the next dinners are and to sign up for a reservation – there are only 24 seats), the details of the other courses vary based on what is seasonal and her whims.

To find her pop-up after procuring your reservation, head towards the back of the Old Salt Marketplace parking lot and look for a red door. There, you can check in with whoever is greeting (either Maya Lovelace or Zach Lefler, the founders of Mae PDX) where they will let you know where your party will be seated. There are four tables of six set up so they have worked out the math based on who made the reservations already – each table of six will share their food family style.
Look for the red door in the back of the Old Salt Marketplace to enter the pop-up area where Mae PDX lives on Wednesdays The tables are 4 sets of six- each set of six shares dishes family style

Let’s take a look at the courses at my Mae PDX – Pre Thanksgiving Dinner version (since I enjoyed it the day before Thanksgiving!). Make sure you eat lightly before, as there will be LOTS of food – almost 10 shared plates – of food to eat at this dinner.

As always, it is BYOB. This time we brought sparkling wine to go with our champagne, but when you first arrive a little before 7 PM (dinner starts at 7), you are first presented pitchers of Sweet Tea. This time, it was a Sassafras Sweet Tea so it had a very sweet flavor that was a bit reminiscent of root beer.
Sassafras Sweet Tea at Mae PDX Sassafras Sweet Tea at Mae PDX

Next was a passed appetizer of Deviled eggs with bread & butter pickled green garlic & hot sauce caviar.
Deviled eggs with bread & butter pickled green garlic & hot sauce caviar Deviled eggs with bread & butter pickled green garlic & hot sauce caviar
You know, just the traditional southern deviled eggs with yeah, hot sauce caviar that I have feeling Grandma Mae did not make. It’s a perfect example of how Maya combines her family tradition with her own touches too.
Deviled eggs with bread & butter pickled green garlic & hot sauce caviar

There is usually an Assorted Pickle Platter of some sort, which comes on a big plate with lots of little jars and spoons. This time it consisted of (starting from bottom left and going clockwise, Green Tomatoes, Sour Corn (in a sauerkraut style), Okra, Pimento cheese & Benton’s 16 month aged country ham from Tennessee.
Mae PDX Pickle Platter for November 25, 2015: Pimento cheese & Benton's 16 month aged country ham, Green Tomatoes, Sour Corn (in a sauerkraut style), Okra Mae PDX Pickle Platter for November 25, 2015: Pimento cheese & Benton's 16 month aged country ham, Green Tomatoes Mae PDX Pickle Platter for November 25, 2015: Pickled Green Tomatoes Mae PDX Pickle Platter for November 25, 2015: Pimento cheese & Benton's 16 month aged country ham, <strong>Sour Corn</strong> (in a sauerkraut style) Mae PDX Pickle Platter for November 25, 2015: Sour Corn (in a sauerkraut style) Mae PDX Pickle Platter for November 25, 2015: Pickled Okra

They are served with Benne crackers, a buttery toasty cracker that is addictive. I have a hard time holding myself back saving for what I know will be quite the parade of food to come – well, you’ll see.
Benne Crackers Mae PDX Pickle Platter for November 25, 2015: Pimento cheese & Benton's 16 month aged country ham, Green Tomatoes, Sour Corn (in a sauerkraut style), Okra

Earlier while we were enjoying our sassafras sweet tea and waiting for everyone in the dining room to arrive and be seated, I had watched Zach prepare the fluffy mini Angel Biscuits and ever since then been waiting for those warm fluffy goodies to appear. Angel biscuits are flakey soft like a biscuit, but also have additional yeast that makes them fluffy and high.
Zach preparing the Angel Biscuits for Mae PDX as the pans get hot behind him for frying the chicken Zach preparing the Angel Biscuits for Mae PDX as the pans get hot behind him for frying the chicken

Although bright and lemony tasty while serving as a call back to moonshine, the second of the 3 beverages Mae PDX offered for this dinner – here a Branch raw honey rye Old Fashioned – could not distract my thoughts from the pending biscuits. It was served in a small jar that we passed around the table and poured our drink into mini mason jars.
Branch raw honey rye Old Fashioned

Now Zach was starting to fry the chicken in batches on the hot 3 pans behind and I started to acquire the scent of my clothing of fried chicken that I enjoyed on my Uber ride home. Thighs and drumsticks are my favorite pieces of fried chicken.
Zach starts frying the chicken and the whole place smells incredible at Mae PDX, popping up behind Old Salt Marketplace

Yay! The Angel Biscuits, here served with Sorghum Butter (you can see isassafras c melting) and a Cranberry and quince sauce
Warm angel biscuits Warm angel biscuits Warm angel biscuits, topped with sorghum butter and a sassafras cranberry and quince sauce "Warm

Next was another slam dunk course, and one of the best Brussels sprouts I’ve ever had they were so tender and smoky, roasted brussels sprouts with brown butter crunch, brown butter vinaigrette, and chervil.
Roasted Brussels sprouts, brown butter crunch, brown butter vinaigrette, chervil Roasted Brussels sprouts, brown butter crunch, brown butter vinaigrette, chervil

Suddenly the dishes starting arriving fast and furious – the main event really was like Thanksgiving as I completely filled my plate with food such as

Green bean casserole with chanterelles and fried onions – I always prefer when real mushrooms are used instead of some mushroom soup
Green bean casserole with chanterelles and fried onions Green bean casserole with chanterelles and fried onions

Fried chicken being plated! It’s go time!
Fried chicken being plated! It's go time! The famous Mae PDX buttermilk brined fried in three fats Fried Chicken The famous Mae PDX buttermilk brined fried in three fats Fried Chicken The famous Mae PDX buttermilk brined fried in three fats Fried Chicken

Baked butternut squash, marshmallows and fried sage created in a Sweet Potato Casserole style
Baked butternut squash, marshmallows, fried sage created in a Sweet Potato Casserole style Baked butternut squash, marshmallows, fried sage created in a Sweet Potato Casserole style

The Baked cheddar grits with ramps was generous with the Tillamook Cheddar
The Mae PDX Baked cheddar grits with ramps was generous with the Tillamook Cheddar The Mae PDX Baked cheddar grits with ramps was generous with the Tillamook Cheddar

The smoky Cornbread dressing with Benton’s bacon and chicken livers and the Chicken Gravy
The smoky Cornbread dressing with Benton's bacon and chicken livers Chicken Gravy The smoky Cornbread dressing with Benton's bacon and chicken livers and a topping of chicken gravy

As we enjoyed our main course, guests took turn observing Maya freely and generously pouring alcohol as needed to recreate the cream based on taste memory
Maya Lovelace creating her alcohol loaded cream purely by taste memory The dynamic duo behind Mae PDX, Maya Lovelace and Zach Lefler

I was super full at this point and glad I wore a dress that gave me a little more ahem room but still found the space to eat two of these mini Pecan tarts, just like her grandmother used to send Maya in the mail for the holidays. If there had been more I would have totally pocketed them – but every guest couldn’t resist eating several of these. I was so jealous that she used to get these in the mail.
Pecan tarts, just like her grandmother used to send Maya in the mail for the holidays Pecan tarts, just like her grandmother used to send Maya in the mail for the holidays

These were the perfect treat to go with the Coffee Syllabub, a creamy coffee drink with Zach’s roasted coffee that was like a mash-up of an Irish Coffee but also like Egg Nog becasue of the egg white cream.
Pecan tarts, just like her grandmother used to send Maya in the mail for the holidays, along with Coffee Syllabub

Maya plating the Sweet potato custard pie, the final course
Maya plating the Sweet potato custard pie, the final course

I liked how this was a little softer because of the custard, and not as squashy.
Sweet potato custard pie Sweet potato custard pie

Ooooff, now you see what I mean by eating lightly before dinner for this 10 course marathon right?

I like to think of myself as a patron of the arts – while some patrons collect art pieces and visit art galleries, or sponsor musicians, sciences, or charites, I’ve dedicated myself to the culinary arts. Besides Nodoguro, Mae PDX has a place in my heart and stomach as among my favorite pop-ups in Portland. I heartily endorse that you need to go – and if you need a friend to go with you, I volunteer!

If you’d like to learn more about Mae and Maya, check out this excellent podcast with Right At The Fork featuring Maya.

While at dinner, one of my guests mentioned he preferred cold chicken to hot chicken. I disagree. I do love both hot and cold chicken, but the juice running down from the warm meat, and the crispy texture that is yet soft of the chicken only happens when it’s hot, so hot gets more favor and will win. What do you think between cold vs hot chicken?

Thighs and the leg are my favorite part of the fried chicken, followed by wings and breasts. What are you favorite sections? What would have been your favorite dish of the dinner?

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Smith Teamaker’s Maker’s Tea Series and new 2nd Tasting Room

December 2, 2015 by 14 Comments

Have you heard of Smith Teamaker? I first became aware of them via the sachets of tea I would sometimes get served when I moved here to Portland in 2008. The teas are sold in these sturdy lidded boxes that communicate their quality, which has made them great to pack into a gift box that looks great, is light to carry and impresses.
Smith Teamaker tea packaging Smith Teamaker tea packaging Smith Teamaker tea packaging

Over the years, Smith Teamaker has redefined tea for me the way Jacobsen Salt has redefined salt and Bee Local has redefined honey for me: that there’s so much more depth of flavor, texture, and experience to a food product than you may think. Smith Teamaker is tea that straddles tradition and the best of experiment and innovation. The flavors are familiar and nostalgic but also can be new and even revelatory. Here are three examples of how Smith Teamaker continues to lead the tea renaissance.

Barrel Aged Tea

As a huge fan of cocktails, and also of barrel aged beer, I knew when they recently announced a new trio of barrel-scented teas – in rum barrel, aquavit barrel, or whiskey barrel, that this was ha ha, my cup of tea. The three types of tea are all loose leaf and include

  • White  Chrysmas – white tea scented in a White Rum barrel. This is extremely light and subtle – if you usually like your tea to be delicate, then this is for you.
    White Chrysmas - white tea scented in a White Rum barrel. This is extremely light and subtle - if you usually like your tea to be delicate, then this is for you White Chrysmas - white tea scented in a White Rum barrel. This is extremely light and subtle - if you usually like your tea to be delicate, then this is for you
  • Mulled Black – black tea with roasted hazelnuts and cranberry fruit and spices like cinnamon and clove, then scented in an Aquavit barrel – the roasted nuts, fruit and spices give it a hint of mulled flavors as promised by the name, and the Krogstad Aquavit (from neighbor across the street, House Spirits) helped add a bit of Anise and Caraway Seed notes.
    Mulled Black - black tea with roasted hazelnuts and cranberry fruit and spices like cinnamon and clove, then scented in an Aquavit barrel - the roasted nuts, fruit and spices give it a hint of mulled flavors as promised by the name Mulled Black - black tea with roasted hazelnuts and cranberry fruit and spices like cinnamon and clove, then scented in an Aquavit barrel - the roasted nuts, fruit and spices give it a hint of mulled flavors as promised by the name
  • Irish Moringa – moringa herbal infusion with orange peel, star anise, sarsaparilla root and vanilla bean, scented in an Irish Whiskey Barrel. My favorite of the three, but I do lean towards whiskey
    Irish Moringa - moringa herbal infusion with orange peel, star anise, sarsaparilla root and vanilla bean, scented in an Irish Whiskey Barrel. Irish Moringa - moringa herbal infusion with orange peel, star anise, sarsaparilla root and vanilla bean, scented in an Irish Whiskey Barrel.

Right now Smith is offering $2.99 flat rate shipping, so if you’re looking for a great gift you can pre-order them now (the teas above will  start to ship December 10th).

If you would like to taste it before you buy, they now have two tea Tasting Rooms open to the public:

  1. 1626 NW Thurman Street (original cozy tasting room)
  2. 110 SE Washington Street (newly opened today! December 2nd!
    New Tasting Room in SE For Smith Teamaker New Tasting Room in SE For Smith Teamaker
    The new Tasting room is double the size of the original location. The tasting room also has a view of production where they box the teas and the tea lab and has a modern, open feel!
    The new Smith Teamaker SE Portland tasting room also has a view of production where they box the teas and the tea lab and has a modern, open feel! The new Smith Teamaker SE Portland tasting room also has a view of production where they box the teas and the tea lab and has a modern, open feel! The new Smith Teamaker SE Portland tasting room also has a view of production where they box the teas and the tea lab and has a modern, open feel!

One of the biggest draws for me to go to the tasting room is that you can order tea flights at the tasting room, just like at a winery or brewery, all with hot teas so you can try them out! As I already started waxing on about earlier, one of the reasons I love Smith Teamaker products so much is that you may think you know tea, but they have been really pushing the boundaries of new flavor combinations that are out of the box and re-defining what tea can be. At the tasting room, you can try these out before committing to a purchase.

Tea on Tap

For example, in addition of individual teas, you can get growlettes of their kegged tea products. Or kegs. Right now, on tap at their tasting rooms are Strawberry Honeybush Sparkling Iced Tea & Iced Masala Chai on Nitro. Personally I am still waiting for an excuse for a whole tea keg – I won’t tell you how many times I used it myself during Feast in the Media Lounge, or came back for refills at the Stumptown Coffee + Aaron Franklin BBQ event. I would pick a tea keg over a kombucha keg any and eveyr day.
Smith Teas on tap - you can get kegs or growlettes, which are great for a non alcoholic drink option at your party

In the lack of rationalization for a keg though, a growler is perfect for a smaller party – be it brunch, lunch, or dinner – to offer a gourmet non-alcoholic drink option to your guests. Look how beautiful the Strawberry Honeybush Sparkling Iced Tea is – perfect for toasting with for every family member. Meanwhile, with the addition of a scoop of Salt & Straw ice cream you can make an amazing simple dessert with the Masala Chai that is impressive. Honestly, every Smith Teamaker tea impresses.
Smith Teamaker tea on tap (available in the keg or also in growlettes) Strawberry Honeybush Sparkling Iced Tea Smith Teamaker tea on tap (available in the keg or also in growlettes): with the addition of a scoop of Salt & Straw ice cream you can make an amazing simple dessert with the Masala Chai that is impressive

Limited Edition Maker Series – Tea Collaborations

Earlier this year Smith Teamaker also started the Smith Teamaker’s Maker’s Tea Series. This is a tea product series where they collaborate with another local Portland tastemaker in creating a limited edition flavor tea. Smith Teamaker brings the brains of various products that can evoke flavors – the collaborator brings the perspective from the outside tea world of a flavor inspiration outside the tea world to now try to make into tea. And three times, they have really risen to the challenge.
Smith Teamaker, Maker's Series teas

The first, Maker No. 001, Oolong Ice Cream tastes like ice cream and fresh homemade waffle! Seriously! And it has the sweet aroma of ice cream in the nose, and a buttery round texture just like ice cream! Mindblowing!
Tyler Malek of Salt & Straw collaborated to create Maker's No. 001, Oolong Ice Cream tea, with Tony Tellin of Smith Teamaker Smith Teamaker Maker's Series No. 001 Oolong Ice Cream with collaborator Tyler Malek of Salt & Straw

It was a collaboration with co-founder of Salt & Straw Tyler Malek, sold out in a mere 3 days. It was so sweet when Tyler was explaining how much he learned about the magic of creating the tea with all these ingredients with head teamaker Tony Tellin, while Tony Tellin also reminisced about the initial collaborations of the teas in ice cream where the name came first and then they had to figure out how to make the flavor deliver on the names like Big Hibiscicle and Matcha Matcha Man. You could really see throughout the night that Tony is sincere in treating all his vendor partners like friends, and those who work at Smith Teamaker really feel like a family.
Co-founder of Salt & Straw talks affectionately about the adventure of creating Maker's No. 001, Oolong Ice Cream tea, with Tony Tellin of Smith Teamaker Co-founder of Salt & Straw talks affectionately about the adventure of creating Maker's No. 001, Oolong Ice Cream tea, with Tony Tellin of Smith Teamaker

You can read more details if you feel like torturing yourself with something you can’t have (but it is a pretty cool story) here on the The Story of Oolong Ice Cream.

The recent release of Maker No. 002, Georgian Caravan, was a collaboration with Vitaly Paley of Paley’s Place and Imperial, also sold out in a couple weeks. However, you can still get a chance to try the tea as it is being served at Imperial (I believe it also is at his Russian food DaNet pop up as well – I covered DaNet in a previous blog post). The Georgian Caravan is a smokey black tea that included hints of spices from India and China by blending teas from those countries in the custom tea mix.
Smith Teamaker Maker's Series No. 002 Georgian Caravan with collaborator Vitaly Paley of Paley's Place, Imperial, and Portland Penny Diner Smith Teamaker Maker's Series No. 002 Georgian Caravan with collaborator Vitaly Paley of Paley's Place, Imperial, and Portland Penny Diner - before adding the jam
Smith Teamaker Maker’s Series No. 002 Georgian Caravan with collaborator Vitaly Paley of Paley’s Place, Imperial, and Portland Penny Diner – before adding the jam

In a very cool touch, the tea actually came with a little jar of huckleberry jam, which is what is used as sweetener in Georgia instead of sugar because sugar is more hard to get in Russia. The fact that they committed to making their own jam just demonstrates how committed Smith Teamaker is to creating the best product and experience they can.
The Georgia Caravan Maker No. 002 comes with huckleberry jam to sweeten the tea, just like in Georgia where sugar is more difficult to get "Smith
Smith Teamaker Maker’s Series No. 002 Georgian Caravan with collaborator Vitaly Paley of Paley’s Place, Imperial, and Portland Penny Diner – after adding the jam

Russian food is one of my favorite foods, and I remember many Chicago winters where I would go to my favorite restaurant – Russian Tea Time – and just have Russian tea and potato pancakes or pelmeni (Russian dumplings) or beet salad, which was the first time ever in my life that I liked beets. This tea reminds of those days – but even better because it has a smokier flavor. It’s really good even without the little quarter teaspoon of jam added to it.
Chef Vitaly Paley and head teamaker Tony Tellin both explain how they created Maker's No. 002, Georgian Caravan, for Smith Teamaker

I was really touched too when Chef Paley described how when his mother tried it, it brought up all these memories and she got into storytelling mode – if it has a Russian Mother stamp of approval, you know it’s authentic. You can read the full story about the Paley-Smith Teamaker collaboration here at The Story of Georgian Caravan

So here’s the heads up on the next Maker No. 003, which is a collaboration with Departure (and Top Chef competitor) Gregory Gourdet! This one is releasing today (December 2) and is called Phuket Fire. Signed boxes of Phuket Fire are available at Smith’s two tasting rooms and at Smith’s online store. Each box contains 15 sachets and retails for $19.49.

Chef Gregory Gourdet and head teamaker Tony Tellin both explain how they created Maker's No. 003, Phuket Fire, for Smith Teamaker

Phuket Fire is a pan-Asian fusion influenced by Southeast Asia where Chef Gregory explained he wanted something bold and bright with a little bit of spice – thus the blending of lime-infused hand cut pineapple (every 12 pineapples took 12 hours to prepare – and they used some hundred some pineapples!), toasted coconut, Kaffir lime and lemon myrtle, Thai peppers and ginger among the ingredients.
Example of the ingredients in Phuket Fire tea

The tea pours a fun holiday reddish pink thanks to dark red hibiscus (apparently their experiment with beets – not so much) and I definitely get the citrusy acidic flavors almost like lemongrass from a Thai salad. You can found out more about the behind the scenes that created this tea at this link here to Smith Teamaker’s and Phuket Fire’s Full Story
Smith Teamaker Maker's Series No. 003 Phuket Fire with collaborator Gregory Gourdet of Departure Smith Teamaker Maker's Series No. 003 Phuket Fire with collaborator Gregory Gourdet of Departure

It’s been amazing to see how head teamaker Tony has picked up and both followed after Steven Smith’s footsteps in creating outstanding teas while also blazing a new path by expanding into great projects to further promote tea that are out of the box. Ha ha. Sorry, I cannot stop with the puns today it seems. He brings a philosophy of perfection that balances science of knowing all sorts of ways to get different flavors to balance a tea along with the magic of pursuit of new grounds of flavors, techniques, but still balance.  They should call him the head teamaker / alchemist.
Tony Tellin showing off how teas can be be created from a lot of different ingredients in order to get the particular perfect balance of flavor
Tony Tellin showing off how teas can be be created from a lot of different ingredients in order to get the particular perfect balance of flavor

If you haven’t tried it, get yourself to the Tasting Room ASAP! Even if you have tried Smith Teamaker teas – go, because I promise they will have new flavors that you haven’t tried before.
Steeping tea at Smith Teamaker's Tasting Room in SE Washington, which has a view from the tasting bar of the production area

Do any of the teas I mentioned appeal to you? What’s your favorite kind of tea? My favorite are smoked like Lapsang Souchang, and also Babaocha (Eight Treasure Tea).  I’ve also loved every tap tea I’ve tried from Smith Teamaker.

Disclosure: I attended a media Sneak Peek of the new Smith Teamaker Tasting Rom and tasted the 3 Maker teas, new Barrel Scented Teas, and draft teas, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. I was a huge fan even before being invited to this event. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

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